<CHAPTER 20>
Of Course, It Would Be You and Me
Although she wondered if Aksion was joking, his red eyes looked solemn, as if they held only the truth.
Thinking she had asked a pointless question, Evelyn bit her lip and pressed her temples as she spoke.
“What exactly is the problem?”
At that, Aksion tilted his head instead.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
‘No way…!’
It seemed he was referring to the contract they had not been able to fully discuss before.
Even after completing the imprinting, they still had not made a proper contract.
Perhaps because of the unnecessary tension, Evelyn swallowed dryly with an awkward expression.
A dry voice flowed from the man who was quietly watching her.
“You’re really hard to understand.”
‘What on earth is he talking about.’
As Evelyn frowned slightly, Aksion spoke in a gentle, almost casual tone.
“If there’s something you want, I would’ve just given it to you.”
‘No, no matter how I think about it, that’s not right!’
Recalling what Aksion had done in the original story, Evelyn shook her head vigorously.
He was the kind of lunatic who kidnapped a patissier just because the female lead said she wanted to eat bread.
The red eyes of the man who had been staring at her wavered slightly.
Truly, Aksion had a talent for leaving people speechless.
Avoiding his gaze subtly, Evelyn soon answered with a resolute expression.
“I don’t really want anything from you. I’ve been thinking about that matter too.”
She had been constantly 고민ing about how to make a contract regarding the imprinting.
As if finding it unexpected, Aksion raised one eyebrow slightly and spoke in a low, deep voice.
“What you want is a broken engagement, and what I want is marriage.”
Though she wondered why he suddenly brought that up, it wasn’t far off from the point, so Evelyn gave a small nod.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then that works out well.”
‘What exactly works out well?’
She frowned slightly at her fiancé’s incomprehensible words, and Aksion continued calmly.
“You don’t have anyone you like right now anyway.”
Evelyn couldn’t deny it.
He wasn’t wrong.
Not only had no man caught her eye, but she was already overwhelmed just thinking about protecting her own life and her family.
“So what are you trying to say?”
When Evelyn didn’t hide her suspicious gaze, he curved his lips slightly and said,
“You can just date me for the time being.”
“Huh? Who is dating who…?”
For a moment, doubting her ears, she blinked slowly and asked again.
Aksion tilted his head and answered lightly.
“Obviously, you and me.”
“Until the graduation ceremony.”
Now that she thought about it, Aksion Valentino seemed to have gone beyond shamelessness and into having no conscience at all.
***
In the greenhouse laboratory, Evelyn, who had been checking the herbs she cultivated, let out a deep sigh.
“Why does Aksion always seem so relaxed?”
Last night, Aksion had only escorted her back due to family matters and then immediately returned to the Ducal residence.
Even so, Evelyn couldn’t even tell whether the food she ate went into her mouth or nose.
He had left behind words that were no different from a bomb and simply left, which made him irritating.
‘After all that thought, I end up with a temporary contract relationship.’
She didn’t like how he had proposed it so casually, as if it were nothing.
Either way, she had ended up forming a temporary contract with her fiancé.
Still, it didn’t seem like their feelings would change because of it.
For now, she couldn’t think of any better compromise.
If they kept meeting like this, she believed he would eventually give up on the idea of marriage.
Muttering to herself about yesterday, Evelyn soon shook her head.
“There’s a lot to do right now, so I should focus on research first.”
Breaking free from her thoughts, she carefully took out the Duckworth Solution stored in the darkroom.
Then she extracted an appropriate amount with a dropper and injected it into the stem of a plant most similar to the human body.
After some time passed, the stems that absorbed the Duckworth Solution began to turn black.
Seeing even the once-fresh parts wither, it seemed this experiment was close to success.
“It worked…”
Perhaps because years of effort came to mind, Evelyn felt her nose sting with overwhelming emotion.
However, she calmed herself down, knowing that repeated experiments were needed to confirm accuracy.
After tightly sealing the flask to prevent any leakage of poison, she stored the Duckworth Solution in the sealed room.
Only then did Evelyn, now looking relieved, stretch and look out the window.
Perhaps because she had been absorbed in her experiment for so long, the sun had already set and evening had come.
“I must’ve stayed in the lab too long.”
She had heard that foreign merchants would be setting up stalls in the plaza street, so she planned to take the opportunity to look at rare herbs.
Filled with anticipation, she grabbed the bag placed on the shelf and headed outside.
The capital’s plaza street was filled with rare and exotic goods everywhere.
Perhaps because merchants from other countries had opened their stalls, the street was crowded with people who came to see them.
“Miss, you must not get lost here.”
Evelyn, whose attention had been captured by the displayed goods, snapped back to her senses at her guard knight’s words.
Then she replied with an embarrassed expression.
“Who are you saying would get lost?”
If it weren’t for Gideon’s reminder, she might have been swept away by the crowd without realizing it and lost him.
‘Right, I shouldn’t forget my purpose.’
Today, she only planned to lightly look at rare herbs and then return to the Marquis residence.
With that thought, just as she reached the stalls where herbal merchants were gathered,
her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing a familiar woman selecting herbs.
A cool breeze blew at that moment, causing her pure silver hair to flutter naturally.
‘Why is Dahlia…’
The woman before her was supposed to be staying in the northern territory of Lorenheim, not the capital.
Given that she possessed immense divine power, there was no way she would be idly staying at the Grand Temple.
Unable to hide her confusion, Evelyn stared at her intently.
Sensing her presence, Dahlia turned her head and greeted her with a gentle smile.
“It’s been a while, Miss Inevassel.”
Evelyn, who observed the woman who greeted her first, nodded awkwardly.
“It has been a while, Miss Lorenheim.”
Looking at the original story’s female lead with curiosity, she hesitated before asking,
“What brings Miss Lorenheim all the way here?”
“There are some herbs I wanted to look into.”
Dahlia smiled softly and continued in a gentle voice.
‘Come to think of it, she often visited herb shops in the original story too.’
The female lead, who lived in the temple, would personally seek out herbs for the sick.
She had a kind nature comparable to the male lead, so it made sense.
“I see.”
As Evelyn nodded, letting go of her doubts, Dahlia asked in a friendly tone,
“Did you return safely to your residence that day?”
Evelyn’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she suddenly recalled the imprinting with Aksion.
However, she forced a smile as if nothing was wrong.
“Of course. Did you meet the person you needed to see, Miss Lorenheim?”
For some reason, Dahlia’s expression darkened slightly at those words.
She soon shook her head with a faintly sorrowful look.
“I wish I had, but it seems they had already left early that day.”
Who could she have been trying to meet that made the original female lead look so disappointed?
While Evelyn was lost in thought, Dahlia spoke again in a clear voice.
“I heard you manage a greenhouse.”
Her clear purple eyes sparkled like wisteria flowers, and Evelyn scratched her cheek awkwardly.
‘Did Felix tell her?’
Seeing Dahlia’s innocent face without any hidden intent, Evelyn nodded slightly.
“Yes, that’s right. It’s nothing impressive since it hasn’t been maintained for a while.”
Right now, it was more like Evelyn’s personal workspace.
After her biological father passed away, the greenhouse had been neglected and people had long stopped visiting it.
Listening quietly, Dahlia’s expression brightened even more.
“Then may I visit it sometime?”
